The San Mateo County Transit District changed a number of bus fares in the new year, including raising the local one-way cash fare to $2.25 from $2, effective Jan. 10.
One-way fares for youth have dropped to $1.10 from $1.25. The “youth” fare now applies to all people age 18 and younger. Previously, it was 17 and younger.
The agency on Jan. 1 increased its one-way fares for paratransit service — for people physically unable to travel on fixed-route buses — to $4.25 from $3.75.
Routes charging “premium fare,” such as the KX, 292 and 397, will remain at $4 to travel out of San Francisco, but the current premium $5 fare for passengers traveling into San Francisco on the KX route will be reduced to the local fare rate. The KX route runs between the Redwood City Transit Center and the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco.
Prices for monthly passes will rise. The adult monthly pass will increase to $65.60 from $64, and the eligible discount monthly pass will increase to $27 from $25. That rate change starts Jan. 21. Monthly passes for youth, though, will decrease to $27 from $36, beginning in February.
Up to two children age 4 and under will ride free with one fare-paying adult.
Also set to begin Jan. 10 are 19 changes in local SamTrans routes. Most will be adjustments to increase efficiency between transit connections, SamTrans says. SamTrans will change its Route 294 service to provide hourly weekend bus service on Highway 92 between the Hillsdale Caltrain Station and Half Moon Bay.
According to SamTrans spokesman Will Reisman, the fare increases are the first since 2010, and were approved unanimously by the agency’s Board of Directors in November. They are intended to “help address inflationary costs for operating the bus system.”
For more information, go to tinyurl.com/fare665 for fare changes and tinyurl.com/service640 for service changes.
